Tooling assembly

ABSTRACT

A tooling assembly  10  having a first set of blades which are formed from a first material and a second set of blades which are formed from a second material and which may be used to perform a cutting operation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of nonprovisional application Ser. No. 10/764,318filed on Jan. 23, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,387.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a tooling assembly and moreparticularly, to a form roll tooling assembly which is used toselectively cut and/or slit sheet type material in a desired manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A form roll tooling assembly selectively cuts and/or slits a sheet ofmaterial in order to allow the material to be used in the manufacture ofa heat exchanger, such as but not limited to a radiator, heat core,evaporator, and/or condenser. Particularly, the formed cuts or slitspromote and direct the flow of air through the formed exchanger. Whilecurrent roll tooling assemblies do allow for the formation of cutsand/or slits within a sheet of material, they suffer from somedrawbacks.

That is, such a roll tooling assembly typically utilizes steel bladeswhich cooperatively and meltingly form the desired cuts and/or slitswithin the received material. Such blades become dull within arelatively short period of time, thereby requiring frequent maintenanceand/or replacement and undesirably and frequently disrupting the overallforming process. Hence, costs are incurred in maintaining the toolingassembly and in the frequent “maintenance downtime” associated with thistype of tooling assembly. Moreover, these steel blades tend to “flex” ormove over time, thereby increasing the likelihood of the entry of dustand/or other ambient type particulates (e.g., such as that which iscreated during the roll forming process) between the blades. The entryof such foreign matter causes the blades to expand and/or move inseparation (i.e., dust or other particulates resultant from the formingprocess becomes “built-up” over time, thereby forcing the blades to moveaway from or separate from the other blades) and impairs their operativemating arrangement, thereby further causing increased wear and thecreation of items which have undesirably positioned slits or openings.

To overcome the foregoing disadvantages, use has been made of bladeswhich are formed from a carbide material. Particularly, a carbide bladeis more rigid than a steel blade. Hence, the carbide blades have ahigher “flex resistance”. Moreover, a carbide blade is less resistant towear than a steel blade and has been shown to operate from about twentyto about one-hundred times as long as a steel blade, before it must bereplaced or sharpened.

While a carbide blade has many superior benefits to a steel blade, italso has many serious drawbacks. By way of example and withoutlimitation, a carbide blade easily shatters or becomes damaged due toits brittleness. Hence, vibration or other forces, such as and withoutlimitation, material “jam-ups” (e.g., a material “jam-up” hereinafterrefers to the material which the blades are forming being caught aroundor wedged around the blades, thereby forcing the blades to form twolayers of material rather than one layer of material), acting upon theblade in a manufacturing environment, oftentimes cause the blade to bedestroyed or damaged. Further, the relatively high cost of a carbideblade has made this alternative unpalatable.

There is therefore a need for a new and improved roll forming toolingassembly which overcomes some or all of the previously delineateddisadvantages of prior roll forming tooling assemblies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a first non-limiting object of the present invention to provide atooling assembly which overcomes some or all of the previouslydelineated disadvantages of prior tooling assemblies.

It is a second non-limiting object of the present invention to provide aroll forming tooling assembly which overcomes some or all of thepreviously delineated disadvantages of prior tooling assemblies andwhich further includes at least a pair of dissimilar blades.

It is a first non-limiting feature of the present invention to provide atooling assembly. Particularly, the provided tooling assembly includesat least a first blade which is formed from a first material; and atleast a second blade which is formed from a second material.

It is a second non-limiting feature of the present invention to providea tooling assembly. Particularly, the tooling assembly includes at leasta first blade having a cutting surface which is formed from a firstmaterial; and at least a second blade having a cutting surface which isformed from a second material.

According to a third non-limiting feature of the present invention, atooling assembly is provided. Particularly, the tooling assemblyincludes a first plurality of blades which are each formed from a firstmaterial; and a second plurality of blades which are each formed from asecond material and wherein each of said first plurality of blades isoperatively placed between a unique pair of said second plurality ofblades.

According to a fourth non-limiting feature of the present invention, atooling assembly is provided. Particularly, the tooling assemblyincludes a first plurality of blades which are formed from a firstmaterial and which are operatively and randomly deployed within saidtooling assembly; and a second plurality of blades which are formed froma second material and which are operatively and randomly deployed withinsaid tooling assembly.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from a reading of the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment of the invention and byreference to the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a roll forming tooling assembly whichis made in accordance with the teachings of the preferred embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the roll forming toolingassembly which is shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of a roll forming tooling assemblywhich is made in accordance with the teachings of an alternateembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a roll forming tooling assemblywhich is made in accordance with the teachings of another alternateembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of a roll forming tooling assemblywhich is made in accordance with the teachings of yet another alternateembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a side view of a rollforming tool assembly 10 which is made in accordance with the teachingsof the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Particularly, the roll forming tool assembly 10 includes a firstselectively rotatable member 12 and a second selectively rotatablemember 14. As shown, selectively rotatable member 12 includes severalblades, each blade includes multiple louver cutting edges, such aslouver edges 18, 20, while selectively rotatable member 14 includesseveral cutting edges, such as edges 22, 24. In the most preferredembodiment of the invention, the blade 9 is made from a first material,such as steel, while blade 8 is made from a second material, such ascarbide. Hence, each blade, such as blade 8, which is made from thesecond material and which is disposed upon the selectively rotatablemember 12 is operatively positioned between two blades which are formedfrom the first material. Further, as shown, each blade, such as blade 9,which is made from the second material and which is disposed upon theselectively rotatable member 14, is operatively positioned between twoblades which are formed from the first material.

In this manner, as best shown in FIG. 2, a blade, such as blade 9, whichis formed from the first material and which is operatively disposed uponor which is integrally formed with the first selectively rotatablemember 14, engages a blade, such as blade 8, which is formed from thesecond material and which is operatively positioned upon the selectivelyrotatable member 12. The selective engagement of blades which are formedfrom such dissimilar materials (e.g. steel and carbide) reduces flexwhile protecting the carbide blades. Further, the carbide blades reducethe wear associated with steel blades.

In a first alternate embodiment of the invention, as best shown in FIG.3, four rotatable members 40, 42, 44, and 46 are employed to providecuts or slits within a received sheet of material. Particularly, each ofthe members 40, 42, 44, and 46 includes an alternating bladearrangement. That is, each blade, such as blade 48, which is formed fromsteel is operatively positioned between two blades, such as blades 50,52 which are formed from carbide and each carbide blade, such as blade50, of the member 40 engages a unique one of the carbide blades of themember 42. Similarly, each carbide blade of the member 44 engages aunique one of the carbide blades of the member 46.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a tooling assembly 60 which ismade in accordance with the teachings of yet another alternateembodiment of the invention. Particularly, tooling assembly 60 includesrotatable members 62, 64, 66, and 68 and each of the members 62-68includes steel blades, such as blade 83, and carbide blades, such asblade 70. More particularly, each carbide blade of each member 62-68 isoperatively disposed between two steel blades. Further, each carbideblade of member 62 selectively engages a unique one of the steel bladesof the member 64 and each steel blade of the member 62 engages a uniqueone of the carbide blades of the member 64. Further, each carbide bladeof member 66 selectively engages a unique one of the steel blades of themember 68 and each steel blade of member 66 selectively engages a uniqueone of the carbide blades of the member 68, such as blade 70.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a tooling assembly 90 which ismade in accordance with the teachings of yet another alternateembodiment of the invention. Particularly, the tooling assembly 90includes rotatable members 92, 94, 96, and 98 and each of the members92-98 respectively include a plurality of carbide blades and a pluralityof steel blades which are respectively and randomly distributed in thesemembers.

It should be appreciated that each respective member, 40-46, 62-68, and92-98 may include any number of blades and, these blades may compriseonly one type of material (i.e., only carbide or only steel), maycomprise substantially only one material, such as and withoutlimitation, steel but include at least one blade having anothermaterial, such as and without limitation, carbide. For example andwithout limitation, member 40 may comprise substantially all steelblades, but employ at least one carbide blade.

In this manner, as should be understood by one who is skilled in therelevant art, the inclusion of at least one carbide blade upon eachrespective rotatable member 40-46, 62-68, and 92-98 allows the carbideblade(s) to perform the cutting or forming application for which it wasemployed even if its respective cutting blade (i.e., cutting bladehereinafter refers to a blade which is paired with and opposite of theat least one carbide blade on its respective rotatable member 40-46,62-68, and 92-98) is substantially dull or broken. That is, due to therelative flex resistant nature of a carbide blade, a carbide blade needonly be paired with a respective cutting blade having only onesubstantially flat edge. In this manner, the substantially flat edge ofthe respective cutting blade which is paired with the carbide blade,allows the carbide blade to slidably and frictionally engage the flatedge, thereby performing the forming or cutting job for which bothrespective blades were employed.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactconstruction or methodology which has been delineated above, but thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit and the scope of the inventions as are further delineated in thefollowing claims.

1. A method for cutting material comprising the steps of providing; afirst rotatable member having a first blade which is comprised of onlycarbide, a second blade which is comprised of only steel, and a thirdblade which is comprised only of steel, wherein said second and thirdblades are respectively and operatively disposed at opposite sides ofsaid first blade, thereby causing said second blade to be operativelypositioned between said third blade and said first blade; a secondrotatable member having a fourth blade which comprised only of carbide,a fifth blade which is comprised of only steel, and a sixth blade whichis comprised only of steel, wherein said fifth and sixth blades arerespectively and operatively disposed at opposite sides of said fourthblade, thereby causing said fourth blade to be operatively positionedbetween said fifth blade and said sixth blade; wherein said first bladeis constrained to selectively and cuttingly engage only said fourthblade, wherein said second blade is constrained to cuttingly engage onlysaid fifth blade; and wherein said third blade is constrained to onlycuttingly engage said sixth blade, thereby causing said tooling assemblyto operatively and selectively cutting said material.
 2. The toolingmethod of claim 1 wherein said first blade and said fourth blade aresubstantially the same size and shape.
 3. The tooling method of claim 1,wherein said third blade and said sixth blade are substantially the samesize and shape.
 4. The tooling method of claim 1, wherein said secondand said fifth blade are substantially the same size and shape.
 5. Thetooling method of claim 1, wherein said first rotatable member and saidsecond rotatable member contain substantial the same number of steelblades, and substantially the same number of carbide blades.